Certifications

Starr Commonwealth provides professionals with the opportunity to obtain certification as a Certified Trauma Practitioner and Certified Trainer. Thousands of professionals have obtained certification since 1995 and tens of thousands have attended our trainings internationally. Currently, over 3,000 schools and agencies across North America have been trained in Starr Commonwealth’s intervention programs.

Each level of certification has different features and requirements, which are as follows:

Certified Trauma Practitioner (CTP)

Certified Trauma Practitioners (CTPs) are professionals and/or child advocates that are committed to the positive development of the children, families, and communities they serve. As a CTP, you have a choice between two tracks:

Track 1: Clinical(CTP-C) – Focused on the needs of clinicians or anyone that supports the positive development/health of childrenTrack 2: Educational (CTP-E) – Focused on the needs of educators

Each track consists of five courses and an exam, with a specific set of prerequisite courses to ensure a robust understanding of how trauma impacts children within and outside of their professional setting. To learn more about each track and the benefits of becoming a CTP, visit the Certified Trauma Practitioner page.

Certified Trainer (CT)

Certified Trauma Practitioners can continue their path of certification by becoming a Starr Certified Trainer (CT). This certification is designed for professionals who are invested in promoting Starr’s programs, interventions, and resilience-focused approach to healing trauma. As a CT, trainers can train each of Starr’s five core courses within or outside of their organization – sharing the same powerful tools and mindset they have mastered with new professionals and the children, families, and communities they serve.

To become a CT, a specific set of Starr courses must be completed, in addition to a 2-day training. For more information on how to achieve this certification and the benefits that result from it, visit our Certified Trainer page.

Starr courses are approved for six Continuing Education credits by approving bodies (participants are responsible for contacting their state licensing board to determine if credits awarded for completion of Starr courses will be accepted)

“We are all part of the same family. In every school and neighborhood, there are children without hope, but no child is hopeless. Each was put here for a purpose. These are just children who have not yet discovered their purpose. That is our mission.”